Jim Inhofe brings new perspective to Armed Services

The Republican guard is changing on the Senate Armed Services Committee: Jim Inhofe is taking up the watch.

Hardly a new face — first elected to the Senate in 1994, he’s served on the committee his entire tenure — the outspoken conservative senator from Oklahoma is likely to bring a very different approach than his predecessor, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

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The transition, effective in the new 113th Congress, is not official yet, but McCain has been eyeing a seat on the Foreign Relations Committee. And industry and Capitol Hill insiders have been sizing up Inhofe as the new ranking member on Armed Services.

With Democrats still in control of the Senate, Michigan Sen. Carl Levin will stay on as chairman.

Over the years, McCain notoriously gave defense contractors a hard time, criticizing large Pentagon initiatives like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and alleging mismanagement by contractors like Lockheed Martin.

Inhofe, though, is considered much more industry friendly. Among the top donors to his campaign committee and leadership public action committee since 2007 are individuals and PACs associated with the conservative Koch Industries and defense contractors BAE Systems, Raytheon and Honeywell International, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Many of Inhofe’s other top donors are tied to the energy industry.

Inhofe was willing to give up his ranking membership on the Environment and Public Works Committee had McCain won the presidential election in 2008. This time around, he’s term limited to serve as that panel’s ranking member, but still has two years left to be chairman if Republicans take control of the Senate.

“Armed Services has always been his No. 1 love,” said Andrew Wheeler, Inhofe’s staff director on the Environment and Public Works Committee from 2003 to 2009. “I think he’s going to make a great ranking member.”

While Inhofe is widely known as one of the most partisan members of the Senate on environmental issues, he’s also been able to work well with Democrats on water and highway infrastructure bills.

“He thinks defending America and infrastructure are the two main roles of the federal government,” Wheeler said. Since those are both central to the Armed Services Committee, Wheeler noted, “I expect he’ll be able to craft deals and get things done.”